Compare the2024 Mercedes GLCVS 2023 Lincoln Nautilus

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The GLC’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Nautilus doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLC has standard NECK-PRO front head restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the NECK-PRO front head restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GLC has a standard Maneuvering Brake Function that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Nautilus doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The GLC offers optional Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

Both the GLC and Nautilus have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLC has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Nautilus’ Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The GLC’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GLC and the Nautilus have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mercedes GLC is safer than the Nautilus:

	GLC	Nautilus
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	108	208
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	.87 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.1 in
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	240	260
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	156 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.38 in	1.5 in
Shoulder Force	67 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Mercedes GLC achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Nautilus has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Lincoln.

Engine

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (255 vs. 250) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 280) than the Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLC is faster than the Lincoln Nautilus turbo 4 cyl.:

	GLC	Nautilus
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.8 MPH	88.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLC gets better mileage than the Nautilus:

			MPG
GLC
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
Nautilus
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
		2.7 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the GLC’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLC has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Nautilus. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes GLC higher (7 out of 10) than the Lincoln Nautilus (5 to 6). This means the GLC produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Nautilus every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLC, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Nautilus.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLC’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Nautilus:

	GLC	Nautilus
Front Rotors	14.6 inches	13.8 inches

The GLC’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Nautilus are solid, not vented.

The GLC stops shorter than the Nautilus:

	GLC	Nautilus
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	117 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The GLC’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Nautilus doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .87 G’s, while the Nautilus Reserve AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the GLC’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Nautilus’ (38.7 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

Chassis

The GLC is 4.3 inches shorter than the Nautilus, making the GLC easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The GLC has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear hip room than the Nautilus.

Towing

The GLC’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Nautilus’ (5291 vs. 1500 pounds).

Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the GLC, using the Electronic Stability Program sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Nautilus.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the GLC is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Nautilus. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Nautilus, the GLC has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLC offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the GLC and the Nautilus have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the GLC is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Nautilus prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The GLC’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Nautilus’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The GLC’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Nautilus’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GLC to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Nautilus doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the GLC is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Nautilus’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLC has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Nautilus Reserve/Black Label offers wireless charging.

The GLC’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Nautilus (except Standard)’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Recommendations

Motor Trend selected the GLC as their 2017 Sport Utility of the Year. The Nautilus has never been chosen.

The Mercedes GLC outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by 65% during 2023.

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